Are you Flourishing?

Last Saturday, I held a “Live In-person Mini-retreat” for some of my Flourishing 50s members in the L.A. area.

It was an extra special time because I don’t get to see them face-to-face very often.

As a virtual coach, all my services are conducted over the phone or online, which is great because I get to work with women all over the country, but I don’t get to “see” them.

So, I considered this a very special time with some clients who were within driving distance.

We had a great time. There was a ton of sharing and discussing and I led the ladies through a few exercises.

One in particular was to rate themselves (Poor, Okay, Good, and Flourishing) on 15 aspects of flourishing.

Here were the 15 so you can do the same for yourself:

• Physical Health – How is your Sleep, Food, Mood, and Exercise (as a whole)?
• Time freedom – Do you have time on a regular basis to do whatever you want?
• Balance – Do you have a balance of giving and receiving in your life?
• Financial health – Do you have enough money for everything you need and want?
• Work environment – How is your work culture?
• Home (physical space) – How does your home look and feel to you?
• Inner/Spiritual self – How is the quality of your inner/spiritual practice?
• Fun/Adventure – Are you having fun and experiencing adventure in your life?
• Primary family relationships – How are your relationships with those closest to you (i.e. spouse, parents, children, etc.)?
• Social/Circle of Genius – How is the quality of your social circle (i.e. friends, mentors, coaches, colleagues, etc.)?
• Relaxation/Rejuvenation/Recovery – Are you making enough time for relaxation, rejuvenation, and recovery?
• Flow – Are you “losing yourself” (in a good way) in something you enjoy (i.e. hobby, skill, creative interest, etc.)?
• Personal development – Are you regularly working on your inner self (i.e. reading, journaling, “Blue Sky” time)?
• Professional development – Are you continually improving your professional skills (i.e. reading, learning, various skills applicable to your work, growing your network)?
• Purpose/Meaning/Accomplishment – Are you moving toward something bigger than yourself?

Then, I gave them two large circles on a piece of paper.

The first circle was “Where I am today” and the second circle was “Where I want to be”.

I gave them some colored pencils and they made a pie chart based on the results above.

This exercise gave them a visual of the “gap” between where they are today and where they want to be.

My role as a coach in my members and clients lives is to close that gap so that they can live healthy and happy lives that are in alignment with their values.

I encourage you today to also do this exercise.

Rate yourself in each of those areas of Flourishing and then draw two circles that represent where you are now and where you want to be.

Use different colors that represent the areas that are in the Poor, Okay, Good, and Flourishing categories.

What is the size of the “gap” between where you are now and where you want to be?

I want to also add that perhaps you’re hesitant to do this exercise because you’re afraid that your “gap” might be overwhelmingly big.

If so, I want to encourage you to do it anyway because if you do, then you can do something about it.

So, if you really want to live a flourishing life in midlife, you’ll do this exercise. It’s sort of like going to the doctor and getting a blood test.

We put it off because we may get results we don’t want to know, but as cliché as it is, I’m going to say it – “Knowledge is power”.

If you truly want to live your best and most fulfilling life in midlife, don’t put it off any longer. This exercise is simply information and feedback.

After that, you can CHOOSE to do something about it or not, but at least you know. In fact, if you do put it off (like blood work), it’s not like you’ll never find out the results – oh you will at some point – whether it be through illness or something else.

The same is true for examining your life. Your midlife years are the BEST time to do this examination and I do hope you choose to do it.

It’s your turn to take care of you,